Thursday, September 23, 2010

12 weeks. (and then some)

Thanks to a computer on the fritz, this is a little late, but a lot has happened!  Here are the highlights:
  • Had an appointment at 11w4 days, and got a unexpected peek at the babies. YAY! Everyone looks great-- it's incredible to see that they look like BABIES now instead of shrimp :)
  • Told Mr. M's parents. WONDERFUL!!  Apparently we did a good job of keeping things quiet and discrete on our vacation-- they didn't notice anything was up!
  • Told my siblings.  We were going to do all the siblings the same day, but my brother was over at my parents house, and then when you tell one you can't not tell the other... so we did :)
  • Went back and forth and back and forth again about the NT scan.  Couldn't make up our minds.  After lots of thought, we decided we wanted to do the u/s but not the bloodwork. (My insurance covered it, and who wouldn't want an extra-long u/s!)  I called to schedule it and they were pretty booked, but there was an opening that afternoon (Tuesday) so we rearranged our afternoons to make it.  Great pics of the babies, everything is right on mark, growing perfectly, arms, legs, fingers, perfect.  The u/s tech said they looked great, and then came right over to do the finger prick for the bloodwork.  It was so fast, I just did it, and Mr. M didn't stop me.  Afterwords we were worried a bit, but in the end we love these little guys already, and will love them no matter what.
  • Told Mr. M's siblings. :) SO fun to tell!
  • Told work.  I think people are in shock, but it's so nice to be "out."  I'm showing already, and have been having a hard time finding clothes that hide my growing tummy.  To be fair, I wasn't small to begin with, but my Dr. said that moms of twins measure 4-5 weeks ahead, so that makes me like a 16 or 17 week singleton mom.  So the fact that I've sworn off of regular pants is totally legit, right? ;)
  • Got a call today from the genetics specialist, and in the end we're glad we did the bloodwork-- 1/10,000 risk (the lowest risk they give on the test) for BOTH babies for all three issues. What a relief!
  • Counting the days to the weekend when we can tell more friends! and THIRTEEN weeks! woohoo!!

Sunday, September 12, 2010

11 weeks.

11 weeks. Wow.

I thought I would feel so much further along by now!  We have our next appointment this coming Thursday, and I was all excited about it... until I found out that the first trimester testing needs to be done between 11w and 13w6d.  I asked about it at our last appointment, and the NP said that my Dr. would talk to me about it at my next appointment.  I'm not so worried about the bloodwork- that's easy to get done while I'm there, but they don't have an ultrasound scheduled for us. Ugh.  I'm going to try to call tomorrow to see if they can schedule that while I'm there. 

Anyway (trying to move on from that frustration). 

This last week has been good-- nausea calmed down a bit, and I could actually ask Mr. M what he wanted for dinner!  I also managed to cook dinner and eat it a couple of nights last week. That's HUGE!  Unfortunately, it's back in full force today.  But hey, I'll gladly take any break these littles want to give me. :)  Other symptoms are still sticking around, which can be a little annoying, but I'm always glad for the reminders that there are babies growing inside me. :)

That's especially important when we're having shoddy luck with the doppler.  We tried again today, thinking we might get to hear both, but didn't end up finding any heartbeats.  I'm not freaking out, though, because the last few times we've heard the heartbeat on the doppler, it's been further up (not sure if we're just hearing one, or if sometimes we get one and sometimes we get the other).  This is more than I want to really share, but the further up they go, the more they're tucked behind some fat, and that probably makes them a little harder to hear... That's what I'm telling myself anyway.

I'm so ready (and so is Mr. M) to start telling people!  It's getting harder and harder to hide my growing tummy.  I read that with twins, your uterus is the same size as a woman with a singleton 6 weeks ahead.  So that means mine is about the same as a 17-weeker now. That would explain the growing.  Anyway, the plan was after hearing them this coming Thursday, we would tell immediate family, and then other friends and family when I'm 12w4d.  With all of the NT scan stuff not being scheduled, we may change our plan.  We'll have to wait and see how it all pans out. 

Thank God for Mr. M!  He's supportive and wonderful when I feel sick, tired, or cry over my lack of concealing clothing.  He goes to get me the craving of the moment, and picks up the load for me when I don't feel like I can get up.  BEST. HUSBAND. EVER.

Hoping this week brings good news, trying to chill out and rest, and not freak out. :)

Monday, September 6, 2010

heartbeat!

Labor day seems a fitting time to FINALLY FIND A HEARTBEAT WITH THE DOPPLER!!

Yes, I'm crazy.  Yes, I bought a doppler.  What?

It came in the mail when I was 8 weeks-ish, and the first many tries resulted in finding nothing other than my own heartbeat. :(  I know it's been (and still is) on the early end, but I was hoping that with two, and a bigger uterus, maybe they would have moved up enough.  We tried again last week, hoping to hear them before we told my parents, and no luck.

This morning I wake up and feel great.  It's been a long time since that happened!  I worked out, threw in a load of laundry, cooked eggs for breakfast and ate them (!), vacuumed the house, baked cookies... too good to be true... so I figured I would give the doppler another shot.

After a couple of minutes searching, Mr. M came out to join me in the hunt.  And a couple minutes later... WE FOUND ONE!!!!  :)  The doppler isn't super-awesome at locking in on one reading for a heartbeat, but it was 160-ish. :) We searched for a little while longer, and heard what sounded similar to the "fetal movement" sounds I heard online, so that might have been the other one... We'll give it a few more days and try again.

YAY!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

10 weeks.

Double digits, baby!  And Labor Day weekend. That's a winning combo!

The weekend got off to a good start, as we told my parents.  We wanted to wait to tell both sets of parents together, but decided to tell mine a little early since:
  1. They know about our IF struggles, so they are easily tipped off
  2. I swear my mom was starting to really worry and think I was clinically depressed, since every time I talked to her and she asked how I was doing, I told her I was tired and not feeling very well
  3. We had plans to spend all day Saturday with them at two sporting events.  The frequent eating, food not sounding good, and bathroom breaks would have tipped them off for sure.
SO, we decided rather than them guess, we would tell them.  And of course, they were thrilled.  My mom said she had known since last weekend because "you looked really happy at lunch."  Okay mom. :) They were funny too as they went through the stages of shock-- the same we did:  first it was "TWINS? Oh my gosh. Wow. Twins!"  Then it moved to "it will be okay.  It will all be fine.  You guys will figure it out."  Then it was finally excitement.  All day yesterday, my mom was wanting to talk about it.  It's killing her that she can't tell anyone.  Especially because my sister was home and with us all day yesterday. :) So cute.  I just kept saying "wait two more weeks and you can talk to whoever you want about it!"

A fun twist too-- when we told them, my mom mentioned that twins run in her family! That's the first I've heard of it!!  She said it crossed her mind when she got pregnant, but since she didn't have them, she never thought one of us would.  I'm relieved to be able to truthfully tell people that they run in my family-- that ought to curb some questions about what we went through to get pregnant, since that's not something I'm ready to share with everyone.  She called my grandpa today (and SWORE he had no idea and that she was totally natural in the conversation... RIGHT.) and confirmed that it's legit-- my great grandma's sisters had fraternal twins.  So there you go.  A surprise a minute, right?

I'm still having nausea and aversions/cravings.  Mr. M is picking up a hot roast beef for me right now.  I thought things were getting better earlier this week, but they're back in full swing.  I'm eating plenty of carbs/dairy and usually enough eggs. I typically fit meat in at dinner and try to at lunch as well.  Still totally grossed out by most veggies. That's not good, I know.  I"m trying.  And hoping that the second trimester brings energy and curbs the aversions to healthy food. :)

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

9 weeks. ish.

Okay, so I didn't post on Sunday.  But here I am now, and that's what counts, right?

Week 9? Kinda freaking me out a bit. First, the morning sickness has ramped it up. Big time.  Second, my sleep patterns have been better (YEAH!) Still getting up around 3 or 4 for a bathroom run, but can usually fall back asleep.  WOOT. Last night I had a hard time falling asleep though, b/c I felt like I was going to lose what little I ate yesterday.  Oh, and I'm reading this book, which is great and all, since pretty much every other pregnancy book treats twin pregnancy like it's just being a little more pregnant than when you have a singleton, but it's freaking my freak.  I'm supposed to have gained like 10 pounds by now. YIKES.

And to make it all better, work is complicated.  I found out that my boss (who is also a friend that has known about our IF because there was no way to get around the issues and surgery, etc. without letting her know what was going on) is also pregnant. FUN!  But this further complicates the friend-boss relationship.  I think we do a pretty good job at keeping those things separate, but after a conversation today, I kind of think I don't want to talk to her about a lot of this anymore.  It also doesn't help that we go to the same doctor.  I mean some times that's nice but still. Too much personal life-work overlap right now.  Her pregnancy is different than mine.  What worked for her last time and what she wants this time are different than where I'm at.  And my needs and priorities and focus are different, just because of who I am and that my pregnancy is different.  I'm a different person.  And even MORE so because I'm having twins.

Anyway, complicating the work situation is the work travel I had to do last week. I freaking hate traveling for work. Let alone the flight is three hours at least, my co-workers don't know yet, and I feel like crap.  Oh and I have to come up with stupid reasons I'm not drinking. I swear after that trip they know-- one even kind of called me out on it and I blew them off and laughed... but still. I don't think it will be a shock to anyone when I do announce.  OY.

Oh yeah, and Dr. Luke? Clued me in on the fact that I'm more likely to end up on bedrest. BEDREST. YIKES. We can't afford for me to get reduced pay for (the very very worst case scenerio) 24 weeks on.

I'm trying to take this all in stride and look at it this way:  it's good to be informed.  And all of this is information.  And all that I can do is try to do the best I can to: reduce stress, eat when I can to gain weight in a healthy way, and be positive. 

I think all of this comes back, though, to one thing:  I don't want to work.  I'm so over it.  All I have ever wanted in life is to be a SAHM.  And that is SOOO not my reality right now.  Not even "we could swing it if we really cut back;" it's NOT possible.  So there I am.  And when I look at all of this, I get so frustrated, especially because I'm generally frustrated with my job. 

In.a.funk.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

oh baby, bab(ies)

I've been freaking out for the last two days... my symptoms all seemed to fade, if not stop. Nausea? gone. Boobs hurting? gone. Face? clearing up.  Last night, I barely slept, worrying about everything.  I decided I had to call and at least try to get in early for my appointment.  (It was set for the 31st- just shy of two weeks from now.)  When I called, I got my favorite nurse, who was super-sweet.  I asked if they even had 5 minutes to squeeze me in.  She asked when my appointment was scheduled for, and I told her.  Her response was "No it's not. We're getting you in today!" Love her.

Mr. M came and picked me up from work-- I was suddenly nauseous and freaking out.  We went back, hoping to just see a little heart beat hanging in there... and saw TWO! IT'S TWINS!!!

I think both of us just paused for a minute and couldn't move. Amazing. Incredible. God answered our prayers so much more than we ever expected. Two blessed babies, measuring 7w1d and 7w3d (I'm 7w4d today, so perfect) and with heartbeats at 154 and 160 (again, perfect).  Thrilling. Shocking. Ohmygod we're going to need two of everything!!  Who cares. What a blessing.

We're shocked and thrilled and everything in between.

Little babies, we prayed for you, and asked God to bless us with just one, and what do you know, he thought we were fit to be parents to two.  Everything we went through was so very very worth it.  And you know how I know it was God? She found the corpeus luteum (?) on the right ovary.  That's right. The side where "endo has attached the tube to the wall and it's kinked shut like a garden hose."  The one "we don't expect to work."  The one "you'll need a specialist to take care of."  Yup.  It's a miracle.  We promise to love and care for you, little ones, like the blessings you are.

Incredible.

7w4d pregnant... with TWINS!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

7 weeks

Early this past week, I was starting to wonder if I was still pregnant.  I think that's pretty normal... especially when you have twinges/tiny sporadic cramps and no symptoms.  But by this weekend, it was clear.  My boobs hurt so bad I kept waking up in the middle of the night when I tried to roll on my stomach.  I'm having food cravings.  And if I don't eat every 2-3 hours, I get headaches and feel sick.  Plus I had my first real (not just from brushing my teeth) gagging fits... over nothing. 

As much as these symptoms might not always be described as "fun," I'm so very thankful for them.  Thanks, little blueberry, for letting me know you're growing in there.  Keep it up!

I was planning on working from home the day of our first ultrasound, but a meeting came up that I have to go in for.  Good thing it's in the morning, and I can spend the rest of the afternoon (though still working...) with Mr. M.  16 days (including a 3-day work trip) to go until we (please God!!) hear a heartbeat!  I can't wait to see this little baby!